Ladies and gentlemen, that's how Gary Comegys basically put it last night at the work session as to how to deal with funding legal services for the city. Pam Oland said all department heads and everyone else needed to stop calling Paul Wilber RIGHT NOW if there wasn't funding put in place RIGHT NOW.
So Gary said Campbell and Cohen held "the fourth vote" between them (budget amendments need a 4-vote majority not three). The hour was getting late (about 8:00) and Gary, Shanie and Louise wanted to go home! Dee, dee, deeee to all three! This is what the taxpayers are paying you for, to do your jobs!
Shanie said, "I'm not comin' to any more meetin's" when John Pick suggested that the council needed to meet with the mayor and Paul Wilber to discuss what Terry Cohen said was cost control on the legal budget that's run OVERbudget three years in a row. Louise said, "Let's move this along. I don't want any more discussion." (What happened to "transparency," Louise?)
And Gary said, "Just pick a number. They (mayor, Wilber, administration???) have to stay within it."
Then Debbie Campbell delivered the classic of the night. "Mr. Comegys, we gave them a number. It's called the budget. And they didn't stay within that."
Gary had pointed out that the mayor decides Wilber's legal priorities. Terry agreed and referred to it as "not managing resources well" and that the council may need to consider changing the charter to provide oversight on questionable legal involvement (like defending landlords, maybe???) that runs into the high dollars for the city. She was too polite.
Then Gary -- whose latest copying from the Campbell/Cohen book is to preface everything with "get public input" -- had another dee, dee, deeee moment, saying something to the effect of nobody was blaming anybody for holding up the city's business.
Dee dee deeee! For all the posturing that went on, especially by Gary, at the last voting session of the council on March 24 and in the newspaper, to make it look like Terry and Debbie were the voting against "Mom, America and Apple Pie" and obstructing the city's ability to conduct business, now you go and say THAT at the work session? I'll say it again: Dee dee deeee!
The mayor and her staff are the ones NOT staying within budget, Gary. They're the ones NOT getting REAL information to the council for making decisions on.
But Gary, Shanie and Louise "Miss Accountability" Smith just wanted to go home. Folks, I don't know about you, but if I wanted to "get a fourth vote," I'd have been a little nicer to Debbie and Terry, rather than continue with the bullying and badgering. When Debbie and Terry had hashed out the numbers (proving they don't come scripted like the other three, actually interested in the input of the other three) and came up with a compromise of $40,000 to get the legal services funded just until a proper meeting on policy could be held, Louise polled the table and Shanie said, "Yeah, ok, I just want to get this over with."
These are your decision makers, Salisbury, and you're just going to sit back? Debbie and Terry are slaving to protect your tax money, while the others just sit there and whine about having to do their jobs.
Expect to see the budget amendment come back April 14 with agreed upon changes, which is how it should have been in the first place when Debbie asked to vote on the items separately. The Hydrilla treatment for Schumaker Pond will be paid for out of unspent zoo salaries, just as Terry had suggested, but Pick mentioned it like it was the administration's idea -- NOT! These people can't give Debbie and Terry credit for anything. And remember how the mayor said the head of Public Works said he couldn't find money for the Hydrilla? Hmmmm, I don't think this was Mr. Caldwell's fault, but I could be wrong.
Show up at the April 14 meeting, people! Thank Debbie and Terry for what they are doing. Ask Louise why she isn't diving into the city's finances and demanding accountability like she promised. Tell Gary to knock off the bully tactics. Tell Shanie to wake up. Show up, speak up! Like the shoe ad said, "Just do it!" It's YOUR city, take it back.
Great article! Nicely done, Joe. Will the daily Times be as comprehensive? Will they point out Wilber's excessive fees? Will they present the radical notion that we should hire a salaried attorney for a fraction of Wilber's costs? No, no, and uh, well, no.
ReplyDeleteJoe you should get copies from PAC 14 of each of the City Council meetings and take notes of what is said. When the "three blind mice" claim something which Campbell and Cohen said and fought for, you should post the clips to prove em wrong.
ReplyDeleteThey (the three) are blind to common sense, ethics, and to the needs of Salisbury!
Way ta go Joe! I'm damn glad I don't live in city,but our county isn't much better!
ReplyDeleteIt's almost a damn shame there isn't 4 votes required on everything. Comegys, shields, and Smith always act like they have to be somewhere-move it along, no line item budget-hell no, that takes too long. Look council people- nobody forced you into the job. You ran for it, you pursued it. Did you just want the title? If you are not willing to put in the due diligence then RESIGN.
ReplyDeleteHey, Wilber should suck it up and do the city business for a set fee. Better yet, since there are so many possible conflicts of interest and he has to put so much more time in that cost us overruns in the budget, then he needs to resign, too and the city needs to think about an attorney that only represents the city.
What a circus. Absolutely disgusting. The city is so dysfunctional right now that I am embarrassed to say I am from here. Mayor, Oland, Comegys, Wilbur, Smith and Shields--review some tapes and take a good hard, objective look at yourselves. Professionalism and public perception right down the tubes.
I tell you, I think every major non-urgent issue needs to be put on hold until "our leaders" either get their act together and really govern in the sunshine, or dissolve the whole damn mayor and council and have an election for all of the seats. I know that is not realistic, but if something doesn't happen to change things, this place is DOA.
Nalagirl
Just love your photo here of Gary--so funny; but so true. That Gary dude is so a goofball! So nutty.
ReplyDeleteHe likes to use big words sometimes but then he doesn't know what they mean. If he, Shanie, Louise and Barrie are the best we can get, that's a darn shame.
If there was not the "oversight" provided on this blog and by the blogger, most of this nonsensical behavior would go unnoticed by the average taxpayer in SBY. Thanks again for going Above and Beyond to attempt to keep them honest.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with that, by the way. They STILL think they're right.
We can only hope that truly what goes around comes around.
I would love to show up at the meeting. But I cannot guarantee that I can sit there quietly and watch the BS that gets thrown out there. I came to a meeting once--even though I work 11pm to 7am--only to be treated and singled out like a dog. I have a rather short fuse when it comes to the sad way this city is conducting its business. I do believe it imperative that cooler heads prevail. That is what lends legitimacy to the cause. Fine examples of that type of involvement were beautifully demonstrated at the County Public Hearing on the Westside Park issue. The council and the public input for the most part was an exemplary display of democracy and maturity.
ReplyDeleteIt would be great to see a standing room only crowd show up at the meetings, though. That is one reason why the powers that be think they can run all over us, because people do not show up.
Nalagirl.
SALISBURY HAD AN EXCELLENT ATT BEFORE WWTP TILGHMAN FIRED HIM. ROBERT EATON.
ReplyDeleteNalaGirl, I applaud you for showing up when you have to pull a night shift afterward. Your comment was excellent.
ReplyDeleteIf you can't attend the meetings, you should contact Cohen or Campbell about what you can do. Other citizens are starting to work on issues. You could do something that fits your schedule better.
I'm trying to bone up on a few issues myself. I've actually started to read the Salisbury Police stats! I'm sick of the crime here.
Shanie said she wasn't coming
ReplyDeleteto any more meetings. What , were
they talking too loud and woke
her up?
Actually I hope Shanie keeps her promise and doesn't show up to any more meetings, she's useless anyway.
ReplyDeleteLouise for Dictator:
ReplyDelete"I don't want any more discussion."
Let's hope and pray that Shanie does not change her mind! Heck, we could even pay her not to come to any more meetings of the Council, couldn't we, as a public service.
ReplyDeleteGreat picture of Comegys. It actually got a chuckle out of me today, and I am in a rotten mood. Looks better than the real thing!
ReplyDeleteNalagirl.
I like C&C, but was disappointed that they didn't flip Paul Wilber and the Mayor the middle finger and vote no to ANY increase. This is one of too few chances that they get to actually make a difference and they blew it.
ReplyDeleteWilbur's services cost the taxpayers more money than if he did not exist. The least that they could have done was play the time, money, and political favor cards to get some hard core concessions out of the rest of the council.
It doesn't matter what C&C do at this point. Going into the 4th quarter the mayor can just transfer the funds to pay Wilber herself without C&C or anyone elses permission. It's always a Catch 22 for the only 2 hard working council people.
ReplyDeleteShanie shows up because she is paid $10,000 a year to do so. Now if someone takes the chocolates off the table she might really get pissed off enough to not show up.
I hear you about C&C holding their ground. But I think they are trying to be reasonable.
ReplyDeleteFact is, the administration wanted something like $90,000 wasn't it? So, if that number is real (who knows with this crew?), it won't be enough to see the entire year out.
So, they didn't give the bas*ards the whole enchilada. I guess C&C wanted to "give peace a chance." We know what the opposition will give them in turn: a big fat bowl of grief.
Rather than knocking them for it, I think we have to support them in getting what's needed. I don't think we the people have been out there supporting them enough, like Joe says. We just sit back and let them get beat up.
I can hardly wait for this meeting with the Mayor and Wilber that Joe referenced. We should fill the seats!
Shanie do the city a favor and keep your pledge not to attend any more council meetings. That's right Shamie, give up your salary and benefits so you can give PRMC the shaft and not pay them again. Perhaps that's the reason for her foreclosure? And she is managing the whole city's money? Give me a Break.
ReplyDeleteIn all fairness to Mrs. Shields, which may be more than she deserves, I think the context of the comment was that she didn't want any more additional meetings on that subject matter.
ReplyDeleteNonetheless, she has made it clear on several occasions that the council is just too much like work for her.
She ought to have the grace to resign and let someone who DOES want to work hard for the citizens have that seat.
Born in the 'Bury.